Allogenica Secures €2.5 Million Grant to Advance Universal CAR-T Therapy and Strengthen France’s Biotherapy Leadership
Lyon, France – March 19, 2025 – Allogenica, an innovative biotechnology company developing next-generation universal CAR-T therapies for blood cancers, rare diseases, and autoimmune disorders, has been awarded a €2.5 million grant under the French government’s "Innovations in Biotherapies and Bioproduction for France 2030" program. This prestigious funding will help accelerate the industrialization of Allogenica’s lead-candidate CAR-T, called the XL-001, making them safer, more accessible, and cost-effective, primarily for patients with leukemia and lymphoma. This grant is part of a selective initiative, with Allogenica standing out as one of the few companies entrusted with this strategic support, underscoring its significant role in the biotherapy sector.
"This financing is an important milestone for Allogenica, validating our technology and accelerating our path to clinical application," said Dr. Inna Menkova, CEO of Allogenica. "By industrializing our universal CAR-T platform, we are not only expanding treatment options for patients but also reinforcing France's role as a global leader in biotherapy. We are grateful for the support of France 2030 and look forward to bringing life-saving therapies to patients around the world."
Transforming cancer therapies and seizing a growing market opportunity
CAR-T therapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, offering remission rates exceeding 90% for relapsed or refractory blood cancers. However, they have been limited by their reliance on patient-derived cells, resulting in high costs and manufacturing and logistic complexities. Allogenica overcomes these limitations with its universal CAR-T therapy, XL-001, which targets CD19-positive blood cancers. Using genetically modified immature T cells precursors (pre-T) derived from donor stem cells, XL-001 enables large-scale production and rapid patient access, reducing costs tenfold and significantly improving accessibility and sustainability.
The global CAR-T therapies market is experiencing rapid growth, projected to reach €21 billion by 2030, driven by increasing demand. Allogenica's technology offers a scalable solution to meet this need. The industrialization of XL-001 will enable broader access, benefit an estimated 30,000 patients annually and significantly reduce production costs.
Moving from preclinical research to clinical trials
This funding will enable Allogenica to accelerate the development of XL-001, moving it from preclinical research to clinical application. Key milestones include scaling up production from laboratory to industrial scale using bioreactors, transitioning to GMP-compliant manufacturing and conducting preclinical studies for regulatory approval. Allogenica aims to initiate Phase I clinical trials by 2027, positioning XL-001 as a leading CAR-T therapy for CD19-positive malignancies.
Next pipeline developments include XL-002, a first-in-class armed CAR-pre-T therapy for leukemia, and XL-003, a novel engineered pre-T therapy for solid tumors, expanding Allogenica's commitment to address a broad range of cancers.
Strengthening the French biomanufacturing ecosystem: Socio-economic and environmental impacts
Allogenica's initiative will strengthen France's leadership in CAR-T production and contribute to the growth of its national biomanufacturing ecosystem. Through strategic collaborations with key French biomanufacturing and preclinical partners, the company is building a robust manufacturing chain for allogeneic CAR-T therapies. This initiative will stimulate economic and industrial growth, including a fourfold increase in Allogenica's R&D and workforce by 2026, greater competitiveness for France in CAR-T production compared to the US and China, and the establishment of a CAR-T biomanufacturing facility in France by 2028.
The company is also focused on sustainable biomanufacturing practices, prioritizing eco-design, waste reduction and energy-efficient processes to minimize its environmental impact while advancing medical innovation.
A transformative step for cancer care
With its innovative technology, strong industry partnerships and strategic funding, Allogenica is poised to redefine the future of CAR-T therapies, making cutting-edge cancer treatment more accessible, affordable and scalable than ever before.
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About Allogenica
Allogenica is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutic programs on a breakthrough cell therapy platform focused on cancer, rare diseases, and autoimmune disorders. The company aims to radically improve patient outcomes by replacing transplants where possible and treating all eligible patients with predictable safety and efficacy, while dramatically reducing the cost of production.
Since inception in early 2022, Allogenica is headquartered in Lyon, France, and has been granted several awards including I-Lab, Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge, “Femme de la Tech”, Bourse French Tech Emergence, and France 2030.
Allogenica's innovative platform includes proprietary pre-T cell therapies, enhancing compatibility with patients' immune systems. These therapies promise significantly lower costs and faster availability than current options, with a single donor potentially treating up to 100 patients. This breakthrough technology ensures scalability, targeting a broad range of diseases, positioning Allogenica as a leader in next-generation cell therapies.
Learn more https://www.allogenica.com/
About France 2030
More information on: france2030.gouv.fr | https://www.gouvernement.fr/agence-innovation-sante | @SGPI_avenir
About Bpifrance
Bpifrance finances companies - at every stage of their development - in credit, guarantees, and equity. Bpifrance supports them in their innovation projects and for international expansion. Bpifrance also supports their export activity through a wide range of products. Consultancy, university, networking, and acceleration programs for startups, SMEs, and ETIs are also part of the offer provided to entrepreneurs. Thanks to Bpifrance and its 50 regional locations, entrepreneurs benefit from close, unique, and effective support to tackle their challenges.
www.bpifrance.fr | www.presse.bpifrance.fr/ | @BpifrancePresse | @Bpifrance
Contacts
Allogenica
Dr. Inna Menkova, CEO
contact@allogenica.com
Presse - ATCG Partners
Marie Puvieux
allogenica@atcg-partners.com
+33 (0)610543672
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